Henlow Feb 2021

VILLAGER The

Issue 147 - February 2021

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue

Valentine’s Day Customs From around the World

A Passion for

House Plants Win £25 in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People Every Month in

Langford, Henlow, Shefford, Stanford, Hinxworth, Clifton, Radwell, Fairfield Park, Shillington, Pirton, Upper and Lower Stondon, Gravenhurst, ur Holwell, Meppershall, Baldock, Stotfold, Arlesey & Letchworth Yo EE

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Inside this issue...

Show them you care this Valentine’s Day

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St Valentine’s Day Customs Around the World........................ 4 Cruising on the River Dart, South Devon.................................... 8 World Book Day...................................................................................10 A Passion for House Plants.............................................................. 12 Wines: Choosing a Mix......................................................................14 Nick Coffer’s Weekend Recipe....................................................... 17 EAAA - Meet Dr Jo Stevens..............................................................18 The Rise of Athleisure Wear Fashion..........................................20 Hair and Scalp Health....................................................................... 23 Oxygen Therapy is Rejuvenating!................................................. 25 Longer Lasting Clothes.....................................................................26 Age UK Hertfordshire.......................................................................28 Reduce your Financial Risk............................................................... 31

Get Planting.......................................................................................... 34 Heavenly Hellebores.........................................................................36 Eating Seasonally.................................................................................41 Fun Quiz..................................................................................................41 R.A.T.S. Rehoming Appeal................................................................ 43 Show them you care this Valentine’s Day.................................45 A Lasting Tribute.................................................................................46 Puzzle Page...........................................................................................48 Wordsearch........................................................................................... 51 Choc ‘n’ Chilli!......................................................................................54 Villager Prize Crossword.......................................................58 Books to dip in to..............................................................................60 Useful Numbers.................................................................................. 63

Get Planting

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Get your business off to a flying start this year

Advertise with the Villager Magazine... prices start from just £35.00 +VAT per month Editorial - Catherine Rose, Solange Hando, Sarah Davey, Katherine Sorrell, Trevor Langley, Nick Coffer, EAAA, Tracey Anderson, Jackie Mitchell, Jennie Billings, Pippa Greenwood, Rachael Leverton, RSPCA, Wood Green, Louise Addison and Kate Duggan

Advertising Sales/Local Editorial Nigel Frost • Tel 01767 261122 nigel@villagermag.com Front Cover Photography - lizaelesina Design and Artwork - Design 9 Tel 07762 969460 • www.design9marketing.co.uk

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Disclaimer - All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however, Villager Publications Ltd can not take any responsibility for the content of the adverts, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.

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History

By Catherine Rose

St Valentine’s Day Customs

Around the World Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the globe in different ways This month, Valentine’s Day will see us buying our loved ones cards, flowers and gifts and perhaps sharing a romantic meal. Many countries around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day, or an equivalent not necessarily on 14th February.

Always seen as a nation of romantics, it is believed that the first Valentine was sent in France when Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote love letters to his wife from prison in 1415.

Although Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the country, the French village of Saint-Valentin hosts a special three-day festival from 13th to 15th February, when trees and houses are bedecked with hearts, love letters and red roses. It is traditional for lovers to propose in Le Jardin des Amoreux (The Lovers’ Garden) beneath a decorated willow tree known as Le Saule aux Coeurs (the Willow of Hearts).

One of the precursors to Valentine’s Day was the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. At this festival, it was customary for women to wear the name of their beloved on their arm. This ritual

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continues in South Africa where women pin paper hearts with the name of their sweetheart onto their sleeves thus letting them know they have a secret admirer. It is possible that this ancient tradition is where the expression ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ comes from.

Since the 1930s, women in Japan have presented boxes of fabulously coloured and decorated chocolates on Valentine’s Day. The tradition began there in 1936 when confectioner Morozoff Ltd placed the first advert for Valentine’s Day gifts in an English newspaper aimed at the expatriate community. Over the next forty years Valentine’s Day gained a foothold in Japan, but it is celebrated with a twist because women are the givers.

The chocolate gifts have a definite hierarchy.

Chocolate presented to a lover is honmei-choko, literally meaning ‘favourite’ or ‘sincere’ chocolate, and is sometimes home-made. But women also give chocolate to important men in their life with whom they have no romantic connection, such as their boss. This type of chocolate is called giri-choko or ‘obligation chocolate’. If the woman doesn’t particularly like the recipient but is obliged

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to give them a gift, she might offer the lesser chô-giri choko (very obligatory chocolate). Although the tradition has been for women to give men chocolate, more recently tomo-choko or ‘companion chocolate’ has appeared, in which women also give chocolate boxes to their best girlfriends.

Across some Scandinavian countries, it has become traditional for an admirer to send short love verses known as gaekkbrev on Valentine’s Day. The anonymous poems are signed with dots, each corresponding to a letter in the sender’s name. If the recipient can guess who sent the poem, they will receive an Easter egg from them later in the year.

If they can’t, they have to give an Easter egg to the sender.

In Denmark it is also customary to give pressed flowers, traditionally snowdrops.

Bulgaria celebrates Valentine’s Day with a glass of home-produced wine. Known as San Trifon Zartan, the celebration is literally the ‘Day of Winemakers’.

Valentine’s Day is known as Zdravko in Slovenia and is linked with celebrations of fertility and the land. An old Slovenian proverb goes: “St Valentine’s brings the keys of roots”, as it is the day work usually begins in the fields.

There is a charming belief that it is also the day when birds propose to each other and wed for the season.

Estonians see Valentine’s Day as a festival of love for everyone. Sobrapaev translates as Friendship Day and as such does not have a romantic bias, instead celebrating love between all.

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The Welsh have long had an alternative to Valentine’s Day. There, St Dwynwen’s Day is on 25th January. St Dwywen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and it was historically the day when men would give their wives, fiancées and girlfriends intricately carved and symbolic wooden Welsh love spoons.

But the award for the most romantic nation must go to South Korea. As well as celebrating Valentine’s Day where (like Japan) women traditionally honour men, the 14th day of every month is reserved for lovers and each celebration has a different name.

14th January is Candle Day and 14th March is known as White Day, when men reciprocate Valentine’s Day and give gifts to women.

No one is left out as April 14th is Black Day and reserved for single people, who mark it by coming together to eat jajangmyeon or black noodles.

May brings the Day of Roses, June the Day of Kisses and July 14th is Silver Day. August’s Green Day refers to an alcoholic beverage known as soju, a spirit made from rice. It is traditional to drink this followed by a romantic walk.

September sees Music Day, October is Wine Day, November Movie Day and December 14th is the Day of Hugs.

That is a lot of celebrations and holidays for lovers!

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Travel

Cruising on the River Dart South Devon Sun, sand and sea, Devon is fabulous, but if you feel like a change from the beach, a river cruise is a lovely way to relax away from the crowds. The Dart has its source up on Dartmoor, its east and west branches joining in Dartmeet before flowing into the Channel at Dartmouth.

Among the options is the award-winning Round Robin starting in Paignton, where a steam train takes you along the scenic coast down to the estuary.

The half-hour journey ends in Kingswear on the left bank, then it’s just three minutes on the ferry across to Dartmouth. In this land of deep water and steep valleys there are no bridges until you reach Totnes, about eight miles away at the end of the cruise.

Departures are governed by the tide and passengers may have time to explore Dartmouth, a gorgeous little place where myriad yachts glisten in a coastal inlet. Framed by green hills, as lush as velvet, neat cottages beckon up the lanes festooned in pastel colours and flowering plants. But soon the cruise is ready to go – paddle steamer only on special dates – first downstream if the tide is right for a close-up look at the medieval castles that once guarded the narrow entrance to the estuary. Feel the currents?

Time to turn around and enjoy the most enticing views of Dartmouth, town clinging to the hills, dazzling yachts, the Britannia Royal Naval College, an impressive late Victorian building, and you might just

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spot your nostalgic steam train puffing away through the trees.

Then all is quiet, just the occasional boat sending ripples across the water or the breeze whispering in the trees. The oaks which gave the Dart its Celtic name may be sparse but there’s plenty of greenery along the meandering banks, while up on the hills meadows glow in luminous light. Salmon, trout and more, the river is full of fish, a treat for blackheaded gulls and other birds – here an osprey, there a rare dipper, a lonely heron, a colourful kingfisher and egrets galore. Most exciting in season are the Canadian geese feeding in the shallows and, if you’re lucky, grey seals basking on the rocks or swimming alongside the boat.

In this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a few villages doze along the banks – like Stoke Gabriel, its winding streets gathered around an 800-yearold yew tree, or Dittisham with delightful seafood cafés and a passenger ferry to Greenway across the river. Owned by the National Trust, this was Agatha Christie’s holiday home and inspiration for a few murder mysteries. You’ll need a special trip to visit house and garden, but as you sail past you’re sure to see the elegant Georgian house rising on the hill among the trees. A little further, the Sharpam Estate may also tempt you back with award-winning wines and its own delicious cheese.

Ninety minutes or so after leaving Dartmouth, Totnes greets you like a fairy tale with bohemian lanes, cream teas and panoramic views from its hilltop castle.

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Time of Year

By Sarah Davey

World Book Day

Thursday 4th March is WORLD BOOK DAY

and this year the focus is on libraries Every Saturday morning after we’d endured the weekly shop my mother took me and my brother to the library. We’d flop down in the children’s section and skim the titles, our heads tilted at ninety degrees.

Our card limit was three books each and it never seemed enough. My mother was an avid reader and instilled in both of us the love of a good story. It’s why I’m delighted that World Book Day is here again, and that it’s working even more closely with libraries.

For the first time in our lives libraries are seriously under threat. Yet libraries level the playing field for families who can’t afford to buy books. They are gateways to a world of information and imagination.

World Book Day is the annual event supporting books and reading in the UK. Schools, libraries and bookshops will be holding book related events, activities and parties. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to get involved.

The aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to explore the pleasure of reading. Your child will be given a book token which can be exchanged for one of ten specially published World Book Day books.

The theme this year is story-sharing.

Research has proven that keen readers: • Read, write and concentrate better • Process new information more easily • Have many interests and do well in a wide variety of subjects

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• Are more flexible thinkers and are more open to new ideas • Deal with personal problems better without their schoolwork being affected.

• They are also well equipped to deal with the explosion of constantly changing information available through the internet and social media.

TV and computer games take up so much of our children’s leisure time that the simple pleasure of reading can be overlooked. Yet reading is the only entertainment medium which is also a life skill and it’s one of the best gifts you can give to your child.

So let’s all support World Book Day and...celebrate the power of a story.

Share a few of your childhood favourites with your own children. If your memory needs a jog here are a few to start you off…

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.

Grandpa’s Great Escape by David Walliams How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell The Gruffalo By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Visit www.worldbookday.com

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Cloudy2Clear, A Local Service With A Smile.

I think we can all agree that seeing the back of 2020 was a welcome event for each and every one of us, and we can now hopefully march into 2021 with renewed positivity and optimism.

One thing is for sure though, there have also been some heart warming positives that we can take out of last year. It has often been said that we can only really get to know one another and realise what is truly important in times of crisis. I think few would argue that in this case what has proven to be important is local community spirit.

When talking to the Manager of Cloudy2Clear windows Stephen Moon it became clear that these values have been held dear for a number of years. Since starting

the business some years ago Cloudy2Clear have remained true to their core values of supporting the local community by providing a service that saves the public money.

The Cloudy2Clear service only requires the glass to be replaced and not the whole window once the unit has failed. Stephen commented “Cloudy2Clear were able to assist our community through the last financial crisis in 2008 due to the savings that can be made in using our service. Unfortunately we might be going through something similar again soon and the public can rest assured that we will be there to help once again”.

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Interiors

By Katherine Sorrell

Go green in style with our guide to creating a beautiful indoor garden in any room.

House plants look amazing, adding colour, pattern, texture, interesting forms and a feeling of vibrancy. They can fill a dull corner, provide soft screening and help dampen noise. The Royal Horticultural Society reports that indoor plants have been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce fatigue and headache.

Intriguingly, patients in hospital rooms containing plants report decreased post-operative pain.

The psychological benefits include the satisfaction of nurturing a small seedling to a healthy, mature plant, as well as the pleasure of watering, misting and pruning, while the RHS says that house plants have been shown to reduce stress levels, improve mood, increase productivity and potentially lengthen attention span. Plants make us feel good.

What plants to choose?

Select plants suited to homes, where it is shadier and temperature fluctuations are greater than in their normal habitat. Good examples include the spider plant, the Boston fern, several varieties of dracaena, Sansevieria trifasciata, rubber plants (ficus elastica), peace lilies (spathiphyllum), aspidistra and ivy. Succulents and cacti tend to be relatively easy to care for and come in a range of shapes and sizes.

For fashion followers, the most-discussed plants on Reddit in 2020 included the pothos, monstera, philodendron, calathea, hoya and peperomia. On the other hand, the world’s most Instagrammed houseplants include the Swiss cheese plant (monstera deliciosa), fiddle leaf fig (ficus lyrata), Chinese money plant, snake plant and money tree.

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Huge plants make a grand statement in a living room, especially combined with bold colours and architectural fittings. Charlotte Chandelier, £380, with 18cm pendant shades in Posh Pink velvet, £35 each, Pooky.

Personalise a home work space with a series of small plants, placed at different heights for variety. Gerry Floor lamp, £161; Drax desk lamp in black, £137: both Pooky.

Where to put your house plants Generally plants need good light (but not bright, direct sunlight) and should be away from heat sources, draughts and cold. Darker rooms like bathrooms need shade-tolerant plants. Provide a stable, waterproof base, and keep harmful plants away from children and pets. Huge statement plants look incredible in hallway, living room or dining room corners, or group several plants together for a similar effect. Place smaller plants on tables or use tall planters, or put a row of small plants on a mantelpiece, shelf or window ledge, or dot them among books and vases in a bookcase. Hang them from the ceiling, stage them in steps, or pop them on wall racks.

Grouping in odd numbers looks best, and a range of widths and heights looks relaxed. Opt for varying shades of leaf colours or try a more regulated appearance, and contrast leaf shapes for natural variety.

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Food & Drink

Wines: Choosing a Mix For this quest I searched for a range of wines, with each production having an alcoholic content typical for the type and a bouquet, from delicate to medium level, which entices to the pleasures that follow.

Irresistible Sauvignon Blanc (13% vol), from Chile, is a very popular favourite for many white wine lovers. Crisp and fresh, to the mouth’s delight, I found this to be impressive and perfect to accompany a lot of cuisine, including fish dishes, seafood and salads.

Irresistible Gavi Broglia (13.5% vol), from Italy, brings thoughts - and flavours - of white fruits to mind, for this dry, smooth wine. Again, being crisp and refreshing, a further, popular selection.

For a rosé production I was drawn to Incarnade (11.5% vol). This Pinot Noir wine, by Sainte Marthe, comes from France. Sainte Marthe is to be found on the hillside of an ancient volcano. The terroir, plus much knowledge and expertise, combine to produce this excellent, light and refreshing wine. Great to pair with fish and meat dishes, as well as salads.

Red wines are often chosen and Uruguay produces a splendid Tannat Merlot (12.5% vol). The Finca Traversa production certainly ticks all my boxes, with grapes being grown close to the Atlantic Ocean. Juicy red fruit flavours are in abundance. The superb mouthfeel continues on to a greatly appreciative palate and extended finish. Beef and red meats are regularly paired with this wine.

Spanish red wines are also chosen regularly and Bobal Extreme (14% vol) does not disappoint. The vineyards are at a height of 1100m. This is an ‘extreme’ altitude for grape growing. Dark fruit flavours complement this organic production, wonderfully.

If sparkling wine is a favourite, Italian Pizzolato Organic Prosecco (11% vol) comes through amongst the leaders. This extra dry wine adds something ‘more’ to a dining occasion or event. By itself or to accompany cuisine, this crisp, refreshing production has a very good perlage and memorable finish.

I located these wines amongst excellent ranges at a Co-op store, where I also found knowledgeable advice. If Co-op membership is of interest customers can be rewarded for purchases and products. The Co-op is also committed to supporting Fairtrade. www.coop.co.uk www.infofairtrade.net

As always, Enjoy!

ey Trevor Langl 14

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Food & Drink

Restaurant style Japanese miso noodle soup My favourite recipes are those which look great, taste amazing, and require little or no effort to make. This noodle soup meets all those criteria. It’s healthy, full of goodness and will bring a smile to your table during the darker months. The vegetables are fully interchangeable - feel free to use whatever you can get your hands on. The dish also still works without miso paste, even though it does add a lovely richness to the flavours.

Ingredients 1 litre good quality vegetable stock 1 tbsp miso paste 200g fine dried noodles or similar (I often cheat and just chuck in the precooked ones you find in the fresh aisle in supermarkets) 2 filets of salmon, skinned and sliced diagonally into three pieces 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped 1 thumb of ginger, peeled and grated Handful sugar snap peas Handful mushrooms finely sliced 1 small leek, finely sliced Vegetable oil Light soy sauce

Serves 2 people

1. Cook the noodles as per the packet instructions then drain and chill them. If you are using pre-cooked noodles, there’s no need to cook them again.

2. Place the noodles in the base of two large round serving bowls.

3. Boil up your vegetable stock and stir through the miso paste.

You want to keep this stock hot and ready to serve.

4. In a hot pan, drizzle in some vegetable oil and quickly fry the vegetables, garlic and ginger. Leave them with a good crunch, you don’t want to overcook them.

5. Add in a few drops of soy sauce, mix the vegetables one last time, and then share the vegetables between the two bowls, placing them on the noodles.

6. Pour a little more oil into the pan and fry off the salmon pieces. Give them a bit of colour but, again, don’t overcook them as they will continue to cook in the serving bowls.

7. Pop the salmon on top of the vegetables and divide up the vegetable stock into both bowls.

8. Leave the bowls sit for a minute, just for the boiling stock to heat through the noodles and serve, accompanied by chilli oil or chilli sauce, for a bit of extra optional kick.

BBC Three Counties Radio presenter and cook, Nick Coffer To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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Local News

East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) – Meet Dr Jo Stevens EAAA is still responding to emergencies and providing critical care 24/7 in the region, as well as supporting hospitals with critical care transfers to help manage capacity in intensive care units during the pandemic.

In December, EAAA hit a significant milestone of being tasked 30,000 times since the charity was started, 20 years ago. Although not something to celebrate, as it marks 30,000 times someone’s life has been in danger, and the EAAA teams have been needed, it shows what a significant impact the charity is having on critical care across East Anglia.

For this issue of The Villager, we got to know one of the life-saving team, Dr Jo Stevens.

How long have you been with EAAA and what do you like most about it?

I’ve been with EAAA since February 2020, so coming up for a year now. It has certainly been an interesting introduction to the Helicopter Emergency Medicine Service (HEMS) during the Covid-19 pandemic! But one of the highlights of working for EAAA is working alongside a brilliant and dedicated team, who have, over the last year, taken on the roles of teachers, friends and fellow tea-drinkers. I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received from the crew and pilots as I’ve learnt to do this job during these challenging times. When I’m not working at EAAA I’m a trainee in Emergency Medicine at West Suffolk Hospital.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like being outdoors. The garden is my solace and gives me a chance to be creative and enjoy watching things slowly change, which is a lovely change from this fast-paced job. My husband and I like to camp and have an old 4x4 with roof-top tent that we can

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happily live out of for weeks at a time (as long as there’s a decent supply of wine).

What’s your favourite part of being a doctor?

I once had a lady in her 90s sing to me at 5am in her room in a very busy Emergency Department. It was a minute of peace during a difficult shift. Every so often you are privileged to get an amazing insight into the person you’re treating, and you remember that we’re hopefully a very temporary part of their life, and that our job is to get them back to it.

You can support EAAA by donating online, playing in its weekly lottery from just £1 per play or deciding to leave the charity a gift in your Will. For more info, go online to www.eaaa.org.uk or call 03450 669 999 to speak to one of the team about how you could help keep the yellow EAAA helicopters flying.

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Trends

The Rise of Athleisure Wear Fashion for the COVID Era It’s stating the obvious to say that COVID has changed everything. It’s even changed the way we dress.

With so many of us working from home there has been a surge in demand for comfy clothes, that don’t constrict or constrain, but which still allow us to look professional on Zoom calls and in Team meetings.

Enter athleisure wear Athleisure wear is a combination of sports, urban, and fashion wear, but it’s more than the sum of its parts. It has grown as a trend because it blends the aesthetics from both the sports and fashion industries, with fashion offering credibility to the sports aesthetic, while the sports provides some functionality to the fashion.

Athletic brands are always looking to improve the performance of athletes. This forces them to innovate. Comfort and feel are top priority for most athletes. The goal is to create better fabric and form to improve athletic performance. But parallel to the innovation brands are also looking to get the most out of their investment and being at the front of fashion allows them to reach a wider market.

The sports clothing industry is fiercely competitive.

Athletic brands have to stay ahead of the game by developing high-tech fabrics, with better performance and more comfort. The fashion industry, on the other hand, has always focused more

on trends and less on comfort and functionality.

But who doesn’t want to be comfortable in their clothes? We feel most naturally confident when our clothes are comfortable, and we know we look good.

This is the beauty of athleisure wear – it isn’t just for sport; it can be worn anytime and anywhere. For this reason, it has attracted new fans during the age of COVID and homeworking. We can wear athleisure while lounging, walking the dog, hosting a meeting, or cooking supper. It’s comfortable, durable, odourresistant, and wrinkle-free. It’s becoming so popular it’s beginning to eat into the usually stable denim market: in recent surveys in the UK and the US more people now claim to prefer athleisure aesthetics over denim for their casual wear.

Beyoncé and Rihanna were among the first celebrities to bring athleisure into the mainstream. We’ve all secretly enjoyed seeing ‘behind the scenes’ glimpses into celeb lives during lockdown. COVID has been a great leveller, and we feel that even though they are celebs, they’ve been on the same journey as us, not dressed in their usual sequinned designer gowns or skin-tight jeans and stilettoes but wearing laid-back and comfy athleisure wear. Dressing like our favourite influencers has never been more achievable. So, before your next Zoom meeting pull on those yoga pants and your oh-so-soft bamboo top, add a slick of lip gloss, and channel Beyonce like never before.

By Tracey Anderson

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Would you or any of your family/friends

like to volunteer at Wixams Retirement Village?

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust has thousands of volunteers who play an invaluable part within the organisation; they make a real difference by sharing their skills/knowledge and offering their kind support.

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If you would like to volunteer or have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me Paula McCready (Volunteer Co-ordinator) Telephone: 01234 981000 or Email: paula.mccready@extracare.org.uk Core Hours: part-time, Mon-Wed 8.30am-3.30pm (Flexible, subject to change) Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road, Wixams, MK42 6EA

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Health

Hair and Scalp Health

By Jackie Mitchell Dandruff, an itchy scalp, hair breakage and hair loss are all common hair and scalp problems.

Most of us have experienced dandruff at some point in our lives.

We all know the tell-tale signs, such as white flakes on a black collar. According to Eva Proudman, clinical trichologist and chair of The Institute of Trichologists, dandruff is a mild form of ‘seborrhoeic eczema’. “This is where the natural yeast found on the scalp becomes slightly overactive, causing white or grey loose scaling. Usually the scalp is not inflamed or itchy,” she says.

How do you treat it? Eva recommends a shampoo with active ingredients such as Ketoconazole, Piroctone, Salicylic Acid and Zinc Phyrithone, which can be bought over the counter.

Dandruff is usually a mild condition and will clear up quickly, but there are more severe cases, such as seborrheic dermatitis, which causes scaly patches, discolouration of the skin and stubborn dandruff. The best advice would be to consult your GP. How often should you wash your hair? This is a debatable question and depends on your hair type.

Stephanie Sey suggests at least once a week, especially if you have thicker curly hair, or every other day if your hair becomes oily.

“Washing hair too much can cause dryness to the scalp and hair,” she adds.

Hair breakage is another common issue and may be caused by overbrushing, colouring, bleaching or overheating the hair. Over time, it weakens the hair structure and it starts breaking.

So what can you do about it?

Stephanie advises a conditioning treatment that you can buy over the counter which is rich in moisture, good oils and emollients, hydrolysed protein and silk amino acids.

If you’ve noticed more hair in your brush or comb, a more prominent parting or a receding hairline, chances are you’re suffering from what is called pattern hair loss, which occurs to men and women.

For many people this can be a shock, but there is help at hand.

What causes male and female pattern hair loss or ‘Androgenetic Alopecia’? Eva Proudman explains it can be inherited or caused by sensitivity to androgens – male

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hormones. “Both the inheritance gene and the hormone sensitivity cause the hair to miniaturise and become thinner and thinner, until it is unable to grow,” she says.

Effective treatments include Minoxidil, Finasteride, Serenoa, Low Level Laser Light Therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP).

Another condition is excessive hair shedding or ‘telogen efflubrium’, which is caused by stress.

Stephanie Sey says “It can be caused by a stressful incident such as bereavement, redundancy or divorce. The hair shedding occurs three months after the event.”

She advises working with your GP, trichologist or dermatologist to get to the bottom of the problem.

If you notice hair loss, don’t ignore it. Seek expert help as early as possible. As Eva Proudman says, “The sooner we see a condition, the more we can do to treat or manage it. If you lose your hair we can’t magically regrow it, but we can often improve what you have.”

For Further Information: www.stephaniesey.com www.ukhairconsultants.com Institute of Trichologists: trichologists.org.uk

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Local News

Oxygen Therapy Is Rejuvenating!

Ground-breaking research confirms that breathing pure oxygen may help to reverse the ageing process.

The study involved 35 healthy adults aged 64 years and over. They breathed in 100% pure oxygen through a mask whilst sitting in a pressurised chamber. That’s exactly how Oxygen Therapy works at Herts MS Therapy Centre in Letchworth.

The people involved gained significant benefits, including the regrowth of telomeres by more than 20%. Telomeres are the protective caps which form part of our DNA structure. As we age, they become shorter. This can lead to illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Study researcher Dr Amir Hadanny, of Tel Aviv’s Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, said: “In just three months of therapy, we were able to achieve such significant telomere elongation - at rates far beyond any of the current available interventions or lifestyle modifications.”

Dr Hadanny and Professor Shai Efrati conducted the study together. Professor Efrati said their findings prove that “the aging process can in fact be reversed at the basic cellular-molecular level”.

Oxygen Therapy helps people with many long-term conditions, cancer and Long Covid.

Dr Amir Hadanny also pioneered Oxygen Therapy for Fibromyalgia, demonstrating great success in helping people to reduce the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

We are proud to have the only Oxygen Therapy chamber in Herts. People come to us from Herts, Beds, Northants and even Europe to attend our sessions.

Would you like to know more? Please call our Centre on 01462 684 214.

01462 684 214

Would you like more energy and less pain?

Try Oxygen Therapy Visit The Herts MS Therapy Centre in Letchworth WE ARE OPEN EXTRA SAFETY MEASURES ARE IN PLACE

www.hertsmstherapy.org.uk Registered Charity 299524

Company Number 2215165

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House of Colour

Longer Lasting Clothes Different types of fabric suit different clothing personalities. Some people look fabulous in cable knit jumpers and textured wools while others need smooth refined woollens. They can make a real difference to our look. I can’t get away with creases (yes some people can work that look!) or boucle wools. However we all need to look after our clothes to get the most from them. Now could be the time to put a little care in to ensure some longevity.

A round up of some top tips in clothing care: • Try using a razorblade to take the pilling off jumpers. Those little bobbles instantly age a jumper but with a little care they can look rejuvenated. A ‘comb’ for knitwear also works well just be careful not to use it too vigorously on some delicate wools like cashmere to avoid stretching it.

• Fabric softener can make pilling worse so give it a miss – but be sure to use a delicate detergent on woollens and a delicates wash in your machine.

Pure wool doesn’t actually need a lot of washing (it doesn’t tend to hang on to bacteria or dirt) so if it isn’t obviously dirty don’t rush to wash it.

• Never leave a jumper to dry on a radiator.

Woollens need a flat surface to dry and not direct heat. They may shrink and dye could come off on your radiator!

• Fold woollens flat to store, they stretch on hangers. Avoid the vacuum packing storage bags as they can distort your jumpers. Cedar balls work well when added to drawers and in storage to repel moths.

• Wash trousers inside out to reduce wear and tear while in the wash. Once they’re done take them out as soon as possible and then leave to dry in a warm area folding along their crease lines – this will maintain those lines (down the front) and could avoid them needing a pressing.

• Hard water area – help reduce deposits by using soda crystals in each wash, teaspoon or so will reduce build up (as well as making your detergent go further!) in your machine.

• Hand wash bras – they will have a much shorter shelf life if they go in a machine. The lingerie detergent Soak doesn’t need rinsing which helps to speed up the process.

• Quality hangers are essential – not the wire ones from the dry cleaners, they can distort clothing.

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Faux Fur • Often with a label of dry clean but shhh….you can hand wash it! Short faux fur hand washes well, the longer types of fur can become matted in the process so don’t work as well. Only embark on hand wash if your faux fur item really needs a wash and this is better with lighter colours. Try using a bath to wash it in with lukewarm water and a gentle delicates detergent (doesn’t need much detergent either). It will absorb a huge amount of water in the process. Lay on some old towels (you could need a few with a coat and beware dye running) and press water out, try not to wring it.

Press the item in the towels. Then put it on the spin cycle (on a gentle option) in your machine – if you can put it in a laundry bag or pillow case to protect it and the fibres from your machine. Leave to dry on a hanger if a coat for at least 24 hours, possibly longer until dry. The fur may need a little fluffing up with your hands once it’s dried but then it’s as good as new!

Article by Jennie Billings House of Colour House of Colour has a network of stylists to help you update your look.

Find your nearest at houseofcolour.co.uk/find-a-stylist

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Local News

Age UK Hertfordshire are here if you need them….

The latest lockdown has come as a blow to all of us, but particularly for older people, many of whom live alone and have been unable to see family or friends for months.

‘It’s been such a challenging and confusing time for everyone’ says Roz Wyllie, Head of Engagement at Age UK Hertfordshire, ‘Many of our clients were already isolated and lonely and this means more days alone. For many that will have an impact on their mental and physical wellbeing, so we are doing what we can to help.’

The local charity have been creating comfort parcels, distraction packs and activity packs to keep their clients mentally and physically agile. ‘We’ve had such a positive response to the distraction packs’, Roz adds. ‘Our clients tell us that they are really enjoying the gifts and puzzles that we are sending them, and we’re so grateful to the businesses and individuals who have donated or helped us to raise funds to keep our clients occupied and connected.’

‘We’re still providing all our vital support,’ agrees Neville Advert August 2019.pdf 1 16/10/2019 Mark Hanna, theFunerals charities’ Director of Operations,

‘All our services are still running, albeit in a different form. We can provide emotional and practical help to anyone who needs us, and we have a range of services including Information & Advice, emotional support, our Help in the Home cleaning service and our very popular Befriending Service.’

‘It’s great that some of our clients are now starting to receive their vaccine,’ says Roz, ‘And we’re hopeful that soon we can reopen our clubs and our volunteers can get back to face to face visits, but in the meantime we can still provide support over the phone and on-line.’

Age UK Hertfordshire are still open to continue to support older people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact them on 0300 345 3446 or visit them 13:47:00 online at: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/hertfordshire/

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TEMPLARS CROSS LODGE www.templarscrosslodge.co.uk Close to Baldock town centre in spacious surroundings this motel style Bed & Breakfast offers off road parking.

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Tel: 07970 162753

Email: ami@amcofm.co.uk or sally@amcofm.co.uk North Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire SG7 5DN

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A FREE WILL for Homeowners Protect your home and legacy for your children • • • • • •

Keep your hard-earned wealth within the family Stop your home from being sold to pay for long term Care Fees.

Prevent the courts from making your financial and healthcare decisions.

If you already have a Will … Is it up to date?

Several thousand outdated wills are legally challenged every year.

Ensure your parents’ home and property is also protected.

DON’T PUT IT OFF – Don’t let your home and money disappear, make sure your estate goes to your family… leaving “what you want” to “who you want”.

CALL 01767 660250 for more information or to book a free meeting with one of our Will and Estate Planners either in your own home or at our offices.

Baystrait Ltd t/a Will & Estate Planning, Baystrait House, Station Road, Biggleswade, SG18 8AL

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Finance

Reduce your financial risk ‘Risk-free investments’ is a bold claim, but you need to check the definition. Even when savings or investments have a fixed return, you do face a more fundamental risk: that the organisation promising to pay you winds up not doing so, for example if it goes bust. For this reason, investing or saving in a government programme is normally considered extremely low-risk, even more so when you’re dealing with the UK government.

The best known government programmes are operated by National Savings and Investment. These include ISA programmes where the returns are taxfree and saving programmes where the returns are treated as part of your taxable income.

Unfortunately, while you still have security from such programmes, the level of return recently moved from mediocre to miniscule. The Direct ISA product has dropped from paying 0.9% a year to 0.1% a year, while the Direct Saver dropped from 1% to 0.15%. Even the Junior ISA, which lets you save for a child (who can only withdraw the money once they turn eighteen), has dropped from 3.25% to 1.5%.

For those who are willing to have a little less security, it may be worth looking at savings rates from banks, building societies and other institutions. Look for banks and building societies that are registered and regulated in the UK, as normally any savings up to £85,000 are guaranteed by the government.

For those looking for a little excitement without giving up security, Premium Bonds are still worth a look. You can put in anything between £25 and

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£50,000 with the guarantee of getting it back in full at any time. You don’t get any interest, but for each £1 of bonds you own, you have a one in 34,500 chance of winning a prize each month, the highest of which is £1 million. All prizes are tax-free.

Another effectively ‘risk-free’ option is gilts. These work a little like bonds issued by businesses to raise money but are instead issued by the government.

The name is short for ‘gilt-edged security’ from the idea that the UK government repaying investors is as close to a sure thing as it gets.

You get a guaranteed payment every six months for the fixed lifespan of the gilt, then get your money back when it matures. You can also buy or sell the gilt on the open market and get any payments due while you hold it. The market price will vary over time, largely depending on how well other types of investments such as stocks are doing and thus how good the gilt looks in comparison.

With any guaranteed return investment, don’t forget inflation. If you make one per cent return in a year but prices have risen by two per cent, you’ve effectively lost money. Often this is unavoidable in a poor market for savers, but you need to take it into account when weighing up the balance of risk and reward across different investments.

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Gardening

By Pippa Greenwood

Get Planting Although autumn is viewed as the best time for planting, trees, shrubs, climbers or herbaceous plants will have enough time to get established if planted now. Plan a shopping trip to fill garden spaces with colour, shape or perfume.

Start by digging or forking the soil over and removing pernicious weeds or debris. Measure the available spaces so that the chosen plant does not outgrow its new home too quickly, and make a note of how sunny or shaded the spot is.

There should be a good selection of shrubs to choose from right now that will provide springtime colour – perhaps a flowering currant with flower trusses in red or pink, a star magnolia, Magnolia stellate, with white or palest pink star-shaped flowers, or, if you have space, an amelanchier, great value because they have tiny, very pretty white flowers with foliage in fiery shades come autumn. On acidic soils or in a goodsized pot of ericaceous compost, camellias perform well and their large flowers in reds, pinks, yellows and white look great. There is also Exochorda macrantha, ‘The Bride’, with delightful arching stems studded with tiny white flowers; the list goes on and on.

Plant your purchases as soon as possible. Dig a goodsized hole for each, making it several inches wider than the root ball all round, and fork the base and sides of the hole over thoroughly, especially in clay – where you should prepare the soil with a fork, as this causes less compaction of the soil than using a spade.

If the soil is either heavy clay or extremely light and sandy, dig a bigger hole, gradually incorporating more

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of the ‘natural’ soil into the compost or planting mix as you near the sides of the hole.

Before planting, remove the pot and firmly tease out the roots – soaking the root ball in a bucket of water for an hour or two helps if they are quite congested and is essential for the plant to get properly established. Prune out any really large, woody roots encircling the root ball to release the remainder of the roots.

The plant should be planted at the same depth that it was in its pot, with just the roots, and no part of the stem, below ground level. Watering in helps settle the soil around the fine roots, even if it is fairly moist.

Finally, stand back and check the stem is upright.

Make a note of the plant’s precise name and details, or remove the label and keep it somewhere safe, so you know how to look after your plant and how big it may grow!

At Pippa’s website (www.pippagreenwood.com) you’ll find stylish cloches, practical and pretty plant supports, the fantastic SpeedHoe, gardening tools, Grower Frames, signed books and the ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa’ system. Or book Pippa for a gardening talk at your gardening club.

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Garden View

By Rachael Leverton

Heavenly Hellebores I fell in love with Hellebores a few years ago after an early spring visit to the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge where there are some beautiful displays.

They provide a spring garden with elegant colour, and I admit to being quite excited when they appear.

They are poisonous plants so are probably best avoided if you have young children. They have a somewhat magical history. A mythological physician named Melampus was said to have observed the cathartic effect of hellebore on goats who munched on the plants. Melampus allegedly then used the milk of the same goats to cure the daughters of the King of Argos of their madness. The plant was used for its purgative properties into the Middle Ages and beyond. Personally, I would recommend growing them only for their attractiveness!

The original species originated in the northern parts of Greece and Turkey, but they grow incredibly well in British gardens. Having said that, I was disappointed when my first hellebore plants didn’t thrive initially. They seemed to succumb to disease quite easily. I subsequently learned this this was black rot. Then I heard Alan Titchmarsh’s advice to carefully cut the large fingered leaves from the plant at ground level in January, taking care not to damage the buds.

This somewhat brutal treatment has worked a treat and my hellebores are now flourishing.

Hellebores like well-drained soil in sun or dappled

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shade. My clumps are happily increasing in size year-on-year. The stems shoot up to 25-30cm high between late January and February and the flowers appear at the top. Colours tend to be subtle: greentinged white, yellow, oxblood red or dull purple but they glow in the more subdued light at this time of year. They would certainly appear washed-out in the bright sun of late spring and summer. The flowers are rich in nectar so provide food for early bees.

There are many varieties of hellebore, with single or double flowers. Just note that not all of them are easy to grow. I have struggled to get the Christmas Rose Helleborus niger to survive, never mind flower, but I’ve had much more success with the Green hellebore, Helleborus viridis, the pretty pink Lenten rose Helleborus x hybridus, which self-seeds quite nicely, and also the Helleborus x hybridus Ashwood Garden hybrids, which come in a variety of colours but don’t seem to self-seed as freely, at least in my garden.

Dig in plenty of mushroom compost before planting, and mulch after you’ve cut the leaves off. Dust with a blood, bone and fishmeal mix after flowering and mulch again with well-rotted leaf mould or compost.

Dig up any small self-seeded plants and use them as gifts, or to increase your own colony.

Happy Gardening

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THE GARDEN ROBIN Complete Garden Design & Landscape Service Driveways, Patios and Paving Porcelain & Natural Stone Paving Wood and Composite Decking Pond Construction & Water Features Artificial Grass, Fencing and Screening Irrigation Systems Installed

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A professional, friendly, local gardening service making your garden somewhere for you to enjoy • • • •

Seasonal pruning & maintenance Lawn care and weeding Planting for seasonal interest Composting and mulching for garden health • Gardening to encourage wildlife Claudia McCullough mulberrygardening.co.uk 07907 303130

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Green Tips

Eating seasonally If you rarely think about where your food comes from, you’re not alone, but buying food that’s both in season and locally produced is the most environmentally friendly way to eat. What’s the best way of lessening the environmental impact of our shopping?

Supermarkets usually print their produce’s country of origin, but shopping at a local farm shop or market is the best place to start. By doing so you’ll support local farmers, while also making sure that the food you’re buying hasn’t crossed continents to reach your plate.

Research is paramount to finding out which fruits, vegetables and even meats are in season. Luckily, the internet is filled with information and there are a number of fantastic cookbooks and apps out there that can help you plan your meals. If you’re not used to cooking new dishes, stick to simple recipes like soups and stews to begin with. If you have green fingers you could also try growing your own vegetables. Even if you don’t have a garden,

many foods like lettuces and herbs can happily grow indoors all year round.

Bananas, avocados and mangoes are just a few examples of foods to avoid or at least cut down on. They always have to be imported and they also need a lot of water and pesticides to grow in industrial quantities. While cutting out all of your favourite foods might be unrealistic, if we all filled our fridges a little more carefully, it really could make a world of difference.

Broth ers and Sisters 1. Which two comedians played the title roles in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers?

2. Which well known fictional character has a sister called Rose Red? 3. In the video game Super Mario Brothers, what is the name of Mario’s brother?

4. Which two characters from the TV show Friends are brother and sister?

5. Which planet in the solar system is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s sister” due to it being of similar size and mass?

6. What is the surname of the brothers who wrote, produced and directed the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

7. What were the first names of the three Brontë sisters?

8. In a fairy tale first published by the Brothers Grimm, which brother and sister discover a gingerbread house inhabited by a witch who eats children?

9. “He loved Big Brother” is the final line of which famous novel?

10. By what name are identical twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia better known in the music world?

1. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd 2. Snow White 3. Luigi 4. Ross and Monica 5. Venus 6. Coen (Joel and Ethan) 7. Charlotte, Emily and Anne 8. Hansel and Gretel 9. Nineteen Eighty-Four 10. The Cheeky Girls

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Pets

Rehoming Appeal

Toby

This is Toby, a 4 year old Jack Russell cross.

He came to us with some behavioural issues which we have been working on. Toby needs an experienced owner, a single person home (no children) and as he loves the outdoor life, a home in the countryside or on a farm would be ideal for him.

If you feel you could possibly offer this boy the right sort of home, and would like to find out more about him, please contact Julie on 01763 289827.

Alternatively, please e-mail Philippa at info.rats@ gmail.com who will be pleased to forward your enquiry on to the team.

View the dogs, cats and small mammals currently in our care for re-homing on our website: www.rats-animalrescue.co.uk or facebook: www.facebook.com/ratscharity

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Pets

Show Them You Care This

Valentine’s Day grooming session. Just the thing for dogs who love to be pampered, they’ll come away looking and feeling fresh and fabulous.

Most groomers offer extra services, like a deep conditioning treatment or nail clipping. I’ve yet to meet a cat who enjoys having a bath, so this could be one to skip for your feline family members!

6) If you do not have your own pet to spoil this Valentine’s Day, why not sponsor a dog or cat through the RSPCA, and spoil them instead.

More details can be found on our website or by contacting our Bedford team.

7) Show how much you love animals by becoming a foster carer for the RSPCA. This is such a rewarding role and one that is. More details can be found on our website or by contacting our Bedford team.

So, whatever you choose to do and whoever you choose to spoil, enjoy your Valentine’s Day. If you need to contact our Branch (North Bedfordshire) for any reason we can be reached by the details below, or for an animal welfare issue or emergency, contact; 0300 1234 999.

Lines are open 7 days a week 24/7.

Email: info@rspcabedsnorth.org.uk Tel: 01234 266965 / 01234 930304

Valentine’s Day is traditionally the day when people show their affection for another person or people by sending cards, flowers, or chocolates with messages of love. But what about receiving one from your pet? Or maybe even sending your pet a Valentine’s Day card, to let them know you care? The card company Moonpig says it has seen a big increase in the number of cards bought for favourite pets.

So, apart from exchanging cards, how else can you show your treasured pet you really care for them this Valentine’s Day. 1) Make some healthy treats for your much-loved pet. There are a growing number of recipes online, for a range of skill sets. So, don’t worry if you are not a very confident chef. You could even make them into heart shapes to add a personal touch.

2) Give their bedding a good clean. Some of it may need a bit of a sort out and spring clean. Perhaps make a small list of anything they may need over the next few months. A new blanket perhaps.

3) Locate all of their toys and give them a really good wash in the bath. Leave them to completely dry before returning them. Some fabric toys may even need mending with a handful of stuffing or just few stitches. You could use a spare box or basket to store them in. They could all get arranged neatly inside, as if they were brand new.

4) Buy them a special present. Treat your special friend to something new and personal; collar, lead, toys, treats, bed, coat.

5) Pamper your pup by taking them to a local dog groomer. More and more dog-friendly spas and/ or grooming parlours are opening each year. So why not book Buster in for a bath, shampoo and

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Local News

A lasting tribute to those no longer with us

A new tribute site from Wood Green, The Animals Charity gives pet lovers the opportunity to celebrate the life of a beloved friend, family member or pet by creating a space to come together, share anecdotes and keep the memories of loved ones alive. Giving a gift in someone’s memory is a wonderful way to commemorate their life, whilst also supporting Wood Green’s work to care for thousands of vulnerable pets every year.

Jensen Calleemootoo, from Wood Green’s In-Memory Giving team, said: “Losing someone is never easy and we understand how painful it can be. Although nothing can replace them, we know that many people find a great deal of comfort and purpose by creating a tribute fund in their name, for a cause close to

their heart. By donating or fundraising around key milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries, those loved ones stay with us forever – and help Wood Green be there for even more pets in need.”

For Len, a gift to Wood Green was the perfect way to honour his late wife, Val: “Leaving a lasting tribute to Val means her love for animals lives on through the care Wood Green gives to homeless pets. Supporting a cause which brought her so much joy and happiness gives me comfort. I have something positive to focus on, despite the pain I felt since losing her.”

To find out more about setting up a tribute fund for a loved one, please visit inmemory.woodgreen.org.uk or contact Wood Green’s In-Memory Giving team on 0300 303 9333 option 3.

Wood Green, The Animals Charity, Registered Charity No. 298348

Celebrate the memory of a loved one

009011NC0121

Setting up a tribute fund is a wonderful way to commemorate a life whilst making a difference to pets in need.

Visit www.inmemory.woodgreen. org.uk or call our In-Memory Giving team on 0300 303 9333 option 3 46

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www.acs-aggregates.com

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Easy Sudoku

Hard Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles.

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WINDOW REPAIRS

Serving all of Herts - Based in Stevenage Specialising in replacing misted units

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MUSCLE

RELIABLE ROOFING COMPANY

& MOTOR Jumbo van with up to 3 men.

Helpful, efficient and friendly service for all your moving, carrying, and domestic disposal needs, including house and garage clearance.

Call Richard on: 01767 317387 or 07968 787496 Email: muscleandmotor@gmail.com www.muscleandmotor.co.uk

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ESTABLISHED FOR OVER 35 YEARS BUILT UP FELT ROOFING SPECIALISTS & GENERAL ROOF REPAIRS • SLATE & TILE • REPLACEMENT FASCIAS/ SOFFITS, UPVC OR TIMBER • GUTTERING MAINTENANCE & REPLACEMENT • GUARANTEED WORKMANSHIP AT REALISTIC PRICES PROPRIETOR R.S. CROW F.I.O.R. • FREE ESTIMATES

01767 312914 • 01707 272532 07973 844240 www.reliableroofing-herts.co.uk reliableroofing@btinternet.com

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HERTS OVEN CLEAN Herts Oven Clean is a domestic oven cleaning specialist in Hertfordshire.

Non-caustic, fume-free solution individually prepared for each customer.

Ovens, Hobs, Grills, Extractors, Agas, Microwaves and Gas Barbeques.

Call Richard on 01438 813492 Bring a sparkle to your kitchen today.

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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James Cullip

Painting & Decorating

• interior/exterior - all aspects • wallpaper hanging • coving • general household maintenance • plastering services available • free estimates • fully insured

References available t: 01462 817 122 m: 07899 888 545 e: go_on_james@hotmail.com www.cullippaintinganddecorating.co.uk 10 Mill Lane, Campton, Shefford, Beds

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Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

53

Food & Drink

Choc ‘n’ Chilli!

Perfect partners for

Valentine’s Day

The Aztecs valued chocolate so much their taxation was levied in cocoa beans! The hot frothy drink they made was reserved for warriors, nobility and priests and was said to confer wisdom and vitality. Emperor Montezuma, not one for moderation, drank 50 goblets a day.

Scientists have suggested that the antioxidants and flavonoids in chocolate with at least 70% cocoa improve verbal and visual memory, reaction times, balance certain hormones, help to relieve blood pressure and boost serotonin levels, our brain’s natural anti-depressant. All good reasons to indulge a little, especially this month.

And what could be nicer on a cold Valentine’s Day than snuggling up with your romantic other and a cup of hot chocolate? Use high-quality cocoa powder, preferable organic and fair trade, and make a hot drink, sweetened with honey.

Then cook the object of your affections an authentic Mexican chilli dish by adding cocoa to the sauce. The nutrient capsaicin, found in chillies, is a powerful antioxidant which helps to prevent many conditions such as high cholesterol, heart and lung diseases and cataracts. It also stimulates blood circulation which boosts the immune system and it even relieves pain.

Chocolate and chillies both encourage the secretion of endorphins, natural chemicals which relax muscle tissue, and act as mood enhancers. The perfect recipe for love!

By Louise Addison

Your Perfect Loft Access and Storage Solution Our services include: Loft Ladders Loft Hatches Insulation Loft Boarding Loft Lighting Balustrades We are a family run business who comply to building regulations, where our fitters are fully insured and all of our work is guaranteed.

Covering Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

01438 211302 info@eastanglianloftladders.co.uk eastanglianloftladders.co.uk 54

Call now for a free, no obligation quotation

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TIME TO CLEAN YOUR OVEN? LET US DO THE JOB YOU HATE BEFORE

Ovens Grills l Extractors

AFTER

Filters BBQs l Microwaves

Hobs Ranges l AGAs

l

l

l

l

l

l

I’m simply delighted at how sparkly clean my oven and hob look now! It really does look like the cooker is brand new again!

Call Roy Heathcote or go online for a quote

0800 840 7127

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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Electrician

www.hertsandbedselectrical.co.uk

Do you find it difficult to get someone to come and do a small job?

Fault finding/repairs Extra lights and sockets New fuse boards Electrical testing and certificates

All aspects of carpentry work undertaken

Qualified electrician  Fully insured Reliable service  Tidy work Free quote  Satisfaction guaranteed

25 years experience

Call Nigel on: 01462 506076 / 07941295883 Email: nigelrooney@hotmail.co.uk

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IAN SIMPSON Carpentry and Joinery Kitchens, Bedrooms, Doors, Windows Free estimates Please call 01462 851695 or 07967162448 E-mail ij_simpson@hotmail.com

Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

January’s Puzzle Solutions and Winner Last Month’s Crossword Winner Cheryl Subocz - Potton Easy

Hard

Visit our beautiful

Bathroom Showroom ...With more than 50 displays of bathrooms, furniture & fittings Free in-house 3D design service Quality products from leading manufacturers Experienced staff offering impartial advice Free delivery within a 20 mile radius of our showroom

01438 725309

bathrooms@stevenageplumbing.co.uk www.stevenageplumbing.co.uk

Caxton House, Caxton Way, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 2XS To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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Prize The Villager Prize Crossword

ÂŁ25

Across 1 Hint (4) 3 Contrary (8) 9 Error (7) 10 Frolic (5) 11 Eager (12) 13 Informal (6) 15 Titbit (6) 17 Alphabetical reference books (12) 20 Propose (5) 21 Produces lava (7) 22 Vacations (8) 23 Wagers (4)

Complete the crossword, fill in your details below, cut out this page and send to the address below before

16th February 2021 Prize Crossword, Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Beds SG19 2NP The winner will be drawn at random from the correct completed entries.

Down 1 Business (8) 2 Distressed (5) 4 Lyrical (6) 5 From time to time (12) 6 Suggests (7) 7 Acquire (4) 8 Produced (12) 12 Flowers (8) 14 Talented (7) 16 Carry (6) 18 Picture (5) 19 Weapon (4)

Name:

Address:

58



Tel:

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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Books

Books to dip into Sometimes we just can’t face a whole novel or autobiography. With these books, you can dip in and out whenever you have a spare five minutes. By Kate Duggan Dear NHS: 100 Stories to Say Thank You

By Adam Kay

Adam Kay brings us a series of essays and musings from a range of household names, from Malala Yousafzai to Dame Julie Walters and Johnny Vegas. Each tale is about how the NHS has stepped in to help the writer.

There’s a story of a suspected heart attack that turned out to be trapped wind, several about household accidents (often involving kitchen knives) and plenty of sentimental stories to boot.

Plus, all profits go to charity.

Encounters: A Photographic Journey

By Levison Wood

Award-winning reportage photographer Levison Wood has travelled to more than 100 countries over the last ten years.

Encounters brings together 140 of his images, along with text about each one. You’ll meet a young shepherd girl in Ethiopia, resourceful teenagers in the Congo, stranded nomads, fishermen in Yemen and families surviving in war-torn regions.

The Repair Shop: Tales from the Workshop of Dreams

If you love the TV series about expert craftspeople restoring much loved family heirlooms, you won’t want to miss the accompanying book. It goes into more detail about some of the most interesting items shown in the series, from a rusty miner’s helmet to a circus performer’s dress. It’s the book version of a mug of tea and hot buttered crumpet.

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Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

Accountants

Domestic Appliance Repairs

Domestic Appliance Repairs Guaranteed Repairs To:

Washing Machines • Tumble Dryers Electric Ovens/Cookers • Dishwashers No Call Out Charge!

JB Domestic

Tel: 01767 680621 or Mob: 07778 891490

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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Classifieds Electrician

Plumbing and Heating

Firewood Logs Firewood Logs

Property Maintenance R. CHAPMAN

Home & Garden Services

Seasoned mixed hardwood logs

Patio’s Driveways Fencing Brickwork Painting & Decorating Tiling 20 Years Experience - No Job Too Small!

Bulk and small barrow bags are available Sourced from hardwood timber in Bedfordshire Call Patrick Sinclair on 07870396007

01462 850575 or 07950 311881

Property Maintenance

Plastering Services

James Geekie Plastering All types of plastering - big or small Interior/Exterior Work Undertaken Re-skim Rooms, Walls, Artex & Ceilings Dry Lining and Screeding Tel: 07792 415356 or 01462 490598 Email: james.geekie@hotmail.co.uk

Dave Mortby

Plastering and Decorating Block Paving and Patio Laying Pressure Washing Gutter Cleaning Free Estimates Given

07722 128189

Email: David.mortby@live.co.uk

Plumbing

Gary’s Plumbing Over 40 years experience No job too small!

Please call Gary on

07530 728091 62

From just £35.00 per month plus VAT

Call Nigel on 01767 261122 for more information Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

USEFUL NUMBERS

VILLAGER The

and Town

Life

Alcoholics Anonymous...................... 0845 769 7555 Al-Anon Family Groups..................... 0800 008 6811 Anglian Water................................... 08457 145 145 Bedford Hospital................................01234 355122 Lister Hospital....................................01438 314333 Addenbrooks Hospital........................01223 245151 Benefits for people with Disabilities.... 0800 882 200 Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue.............01234 845000 Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue............01438 729041 Carers Line........................................ 0808 808 7777 ChildLine..................................................0800 1111 Citizens Advice.................................. 0344 245 1292

Bringing Local Business to Local People Your local full colour A5 monthly magazine delivered free of charge to 1000s of homes and businesses in your local area.

The Villager and Town Life is dedicated to promoting local businesses, charities, community groups and everything else in your local area.

Cocaine Anonymous................................0800 689 4732 Crimestoppers..................................... 0800 555 111 Cruse Bereavement Care................... 0333 252 9152 Floodline........................................... 0845 988 1188 Frank-Drug Advisory........................... 0800 776 600 National Debt Line............................ 0808 808 4000 Gas Emergency.................................... 0800 111 999 NHS Direct................................................0845 4647 National Rail Enquiries..................... 03457 48 49 50 Non Emergency Police Line.................................101 NSPCC............................................... 0808 800 5000 Relate................................................. 0845 48 49 50 RSPCA Cruelty Line............................ 0300 1234 999 Samaritans...................................................116 123 Tax Credit Helpline............................ 0345 300 3900 Victim Support................................. 0845 30 30 900 To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

For more information or to reserve your space please contact Nigel on:

Tel: 01767 261122

Email: nigel@villagermag.com Web: www.villagermag.com 63